Cloud computing needs to take local realities into account to deliver on its potential in SA, says eBucks CIO Kovelin Naidoo.
Naidoo says that while cloud computing presents immense potential benefits, there are different dynamics at play in SA, when compared to the US and Europe.
He notes that different legislation applies, there are still bandwidth constraints, the country has a fast-growing mobile Internet user base, and huge unemployment means a vast user base of would-be entrepreneurs.
“We need to look to innovative new models for cloud computing in SA,” says Naidoo. “In South Africa, we have been a bit blinkered, and we're not looking at where cloud computing could take us five or 10 years from now.”
He highlights moves to adapt the cloud to better suit mobile as a step in the right direction.
“Today's typical smartphone has more computing power than that of the entire NASA Apollo 11 mission, which landed man on the moon. Presently, the most we have mastered with smartphones is levelling up on Angry Birds,” says Naidoo.
The computing power of the average smartphone is generally under-utilised, he says.
“People who have mobile phones, using mobile virtualisation, are essentially carrying desktops in their pockets. The phones run all the enterprise operating systems and applications you need, and just by plugging them into a keyboard and monitor, you can access data and applications via the cloud.”
Service providers need to look at local needs, he says, considering cost and bandwidth constraints and the need to uplift local communities. “All the building blocks exist for new and innovative cloud models for South Africa,” says Naidoo. They just need to be put together and delivered in a way that works for local users.
“Look to the potential for the informal sector,” he says. “Imagine if the guy sitting next to the road could easily sell his wooden giraffe to an overseas buyer, using just his mobile phone, eBay and PayPal, and never have to leave the roadside.”
Naidoo cites Canonical and VMware mobile cloud solutions, noting that solutions are starting to come to market that will make true cloud computing practical for the mobile user.
Naidoo will address the ITWeb Virtualisation and Cloud Computing Summit, to be held from 17 to 19 July, at The Forum, in Bryanston. For more information about this event, click here.
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